When I first had a puppy 15 years ago, something like this sounded great. My dog running loose among friends and hiking in the woods looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

At this point however, I'm more jaded and would be concerned about the safety of my dog mixing with other dogs not leashed. Even leashed, I'm cautious about who can just randomly approach my dog, especially if they have a dog. I've just seen too many examples of an innocent dog getting hurt due to irresponsible owners or poor circumstances.

Unfortunately, I'm also really hyper aware and concerned about any woodsy and high grass area my dog would go into and be exposed to ticks and the various and increasing TBD that are out there. I don't know if it's climate or what, but the ticks seem to be much worse than years past.